Overview

This fascinating wet and wild record starts with flooding in the Arun Valley and at Pulborough. We next see men climbing a pole on a buoy to a watching crowd followed by storms battering Bognor Regis. A flashback to summer fashions on the promenade - is followed by scenes of inundation at the same location. Smashed sea defences and beach huts litter the scene while in Selsey, the SS Mango is seen stranded on the shore. The film ends with a walk around the Cowdray ruins in Midhurst.

To escape the storm, the SS Mango was driven aground on 10th January 1932 and was eventually refloated a fortnight later. Harry Guermonprez, who filmed its predicament, went on to become co-founder of the Bognor Regis Film Society in 1938. He was a photographer by trade, beginning in Bognor Regis, where he managed a chemists and photography shop. He later moved to Chichester, where he set up Chichester Photographic Services. After the Second World War he photographed scenes in and around the historic city, many of them for the Chichester Observer, the local newspaper. His photographic collection, consisting of hundreds of glass plate negatives, is now held at the West Sussex Record Office in Chichester.

Who could deny these advertising claims: "Attractive hair is the ambition of every woman", and "Your family will enjoy Lincoln potatoes"?

About the archive

Screen Archive South East is a public sector moving image archive serving the South East of England. The archive's collections of magic lantern slides, films, videos and associated materials capture the many varied aspects of life, work and creativity from the early days of screen history to the present day and serve as a rich and invaluable historical resource.